Antoine Semenyo scores late winner as Ghana defeat Angola in Kumasi

The Bournemouth striker climbed off the bench to score a scrappy winner as the Black extended their lead in Group E by three points and set off new manager Chris Hughton’s reign to a winning start.

Ghana have now recorded their fourth win over Angola in seven meetings and their second win in Kumasi over the Black Antelopes.

The four-time African champions will face the 2010 AFCON host again on March 27 in Luanda for the fourth-round fixtures of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers.

Angola had a good start to the game and made the first attempt on goal under 5 minutes after Gelson Dala’s ambitious strike got was saved by Lawrence Ati-Zigi.

The Black Stars slowly warmed themselves into the game and began to make incursions.

Mohammed Kudus could have put the home side in front inside the 7th minute but the Ajax man’s shot from inside the box went past the post by a whisker.

Ghana kept asking questions through half chances but the final balls were lacking.

Kudus came close again in the 27th minute with a shot from distance after going past two players but his effort was palmed away by the goalkeeper.

The first half did not see many big chances as both sides walked down the tunnel without finding the back of the net.

The second half started off like the first half until Ghana raised the tempo in the last 20 minutes.

Kamaldeen Sulemana, who had a good game, could have scored twice but his decision-making let him down on both occasions.

He initially blasted the ball into the crowd after a good cut-in before forcing the goalkeeper into a near post save in the second chance.

In the 81st minute, Thomas Partey brilliantly put substitute Semenyo through but the striker’s shot from a difficult angle hit the side of the woodwork.

Partey and Semenyo combined again through the channel but the Bournemouth forward’s shot went off target.

While frustration grew among the fans at the fully packed Baba Yara Sports Stadium, Semenyo, eventually, grabbed his deserved goal through a scrappy rebound from Kudus Mohaamed’s freekick inside stoppage time.

The goal was the last kick of the game as Ghana picked up the important win.

The goal is his second in the Black Stars shirt and also Ghana put a win away from qualifying for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

Ghana, after three games, lead the group with 7 points while Central African Republic and Angola sit second and third respectively with 3 points each with Madagascar at the bottom with 1 point.